Friday, July 15, 2016

I was looking through Pinterest lately in preparation for my upcoming move and a new kitchen to work in. Since I'll finally have a nice square kitchen instead of a galley, I knew I could also have an island for extra storage, seating, and work space. And of course, you could make your own kitchen island rather than paying the hefty prices for even a so-so standard island. Even the least expensive and flimsy islands start at about $400. So why not find a great old dresser or buffet with character and go from there? Then your island will be custom made for YOU! Some ideas from Pinterest:

Now on to what I found to work with. This dresser was at Habitat for Humanity's RESTORE for only $15. This one is already perfect counter height and about 45 inches wide which will work well for 2 stools once the extension is added. I've already pulled out the drawers in this picture - not sure if I'm going to use them or not.

Next, I started to take off the veneer. It took some doing to get down to the bottom of the veneer layer.

I found that going over a wet towel with a hot, steamy iron, loosened up the glue nicely. Then I could use a scraper to get under the veneer and little by little, pull it up.

The beautiful wood under the veneer is exposed.

The back and the shelves that the drawers rested on were old and musty smelling, so I pried off the old backing and slid the shelves out.

Now to put on some new backing, shelving, and an extension to the top using wood corbels.

Then I'll decide if I want to use the original drawers, some wire and wicker baskets, or a combination of both, for storage.

I'll post the updates as I move along on this project. Thanks for looking!